


Those Who Favor Fire

by Captain_Giggles



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Deviates From Canon, Episode: s01e07 Marooned, Fix-It, Gen, Mick Rory centric, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 14:32:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6198760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Giggles/pseuds/Captain_Giggles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>”Any brilliant ideas, Mr. Rory?”</i>
</p><p>Mick snorted. Oh, he’d give Rip a brilliant idea alright. And then when Mick saved the fucking day he would enjoy kicking back and watching Captain Hunter sulk like a pansy ass bitch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Those Who Favor Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from Robert Frost's poem _Fire and Ice_.
> 
> Fix-it fic written to satisfy myself. Might not be anyone else's cup of tea, but figured I'd share anyway; if only to get it out of my head. 
> 
> Rant time, braces yourselves. Possible spoiler warning as well?
> 
> LoT seems to be moving a couple of things too quickly lately. I have a hard time connecting Mick from episode 5 to Mick from episode 7, just because of the events of episode 6.  
> Maybe it's just because Len is changing, but I'd like to think that Mick might be capable of it too. He seemed to be starting to when he helped Ray, even if only because he felt he owed him. 
> 
> Also, it killed me how Len still believed in Mick. He was so sure that Mick could take care of the time pirates that he was all "I told you so" when he thought he came back to help. There is no way he killed him at the end. If comics have thought me anything, it's that unless you're Uncle Ben or Bruce Wayne's parents, there is always a chance to come back. Besides, they didn't show a body. Dead give away.
> 
> I am also using this fic to vent my frustration with Rip Hunter, who I like less and less every episode. Ye be warned.
> 
> End rant. 
> 
> Not beta read, sorry for any mistakes. 
> 
> Also a crack scene re-write at the end note.

_”Any brilliant ideas, Mr. Rory?”_

Mick snorted. Oh, he’d give Rip a brilliant idea alright. And then when Mick saved the fucking day he would enjoy kicking back and watching Captain Hunter sulk like a pansy ass bitch. Mick, admittedly, wasn’t too smart. He figured that out the first time he got burnt and went back for more. That’s not the behavior of a healthy minded individual. However, he wasn’t as completely useless as the _good_ Captain seemed to think he was; otherwise Snart wouldn’t work with someone like him.

Speaking of Snart, once Mick got them all out of this shit storm, he’d make sure his partner gave him a goddamned apology. The pyro may have gone a little crazy when confronted with the city of his dreams, but that knocking him out shit was uncalled for. In retrospect, he could see the screwed up time logic of not staying in 2046. Sara and Ray would see to it that that timeline disappeared the minute they got home to 2016, and then where would that leave Mick? Would he just blip out of existence? He knew he wasn’t too smart, but this time travel stuff took confusing to a whole new level. 

The point was, Snart could have found a better way to deal with him. He was supposed to know how to best curb his partner’s own special brand of crazy, and popping Mick in the head with the Cold Gun was so not the way to do it. So yeah, Cold owed him a good, heartfelt apology and probably a heist of his choice and a few other opportunities to burn shit too. Ha! Wouldn’t that be a sight? Bastard hates admitting he was wrong and is awful at saying ‘sorry’. Between Snart and Hunter, Mick was in for a good show.

Until then though, Mick had brilliant ideas to enact. Step one, get out of the supposedly inescapable timeship brig, was already complete. The dumbasses had let him out themselves. He couldn’t believe how amateur these time pirates were. Only three men to escort him to Captain No. 4? A guy Mick’s size? It was laughably easy to break free and kick all their asses. He especially enjoyed breaking the nose of the pretty Space-Jon-Snow looking motherfucker. He even got a new burn from one of those fancy laser guns; which he was definitely stealing.

Now what to do? Snart would be horrified by the complete lack of planning involved in this well, _plan_ , but screw him, Mick was still pissed. He was doing this his way.

Mick wasn’t lying when he told the Captain he knew how to cut a deal, however, there was no deal to be made here. IQ of a piece of meat or not, Mick knew when someone was bluffing. These sons of bitches had no intention of dropping anyone off in their correct time; whether they complied of not. Their only chance of escaping with that computer-thingy was if the Legends managed to take the ship. Unfortunately, Captain Hunter, in his infinite genius, had left all but one of his best fighters on the Waverider while he walked into what he half expected to be a trap. And he had the balls to call Mick stupid?

He was heading towards what he thought was the way to the jump ship, assuming it and Stein were still there, when he ran into another pirate. Just as he was about to punch the man’s lights out, the guy looked up and revealed a familiar face.

“Wait! Mr. Rory, it’s me!”

“Well hey there, Professor.” Mick dropped his fists and released the front of Stein’s coat. “I thought you were supposed to stay on the ship?”

Stein adjusted his coat and hat before puffing out his chest and gripping his gun more securely. And hey! He stole one of those too! Mick knew he liked the old guy for a reason, even if he wouldn’t share his roofies. “Space Ranger Martin Stein does not hide from danger!”, he boasted. “And what about you Mr. Rory? Where are the others?”

“Still in the holding cell.”

“What?! We have to rescue them!” The professor went to move around Mick, but the pyro grabbed the collar of his coat and dragged him back.

“Hold it right there, Professor. We’ll never make it to the ship with that many people. Especially since Captain Numbers Two and Three can’t stop bitching at each other.”

“But, Jefferson--”

“Will be fine. He’ll be even better once we come back with the others and take the ship.” Mick was tempted to bodily haul the old man along when he continued to look conflicted about leaving his partner behind. He briefly wondered if that’s how Snart had felt when Mick wanted to stay in Star City, but he quickly banished the thought. This wasn’t like that. Mick wasn’t a captive then, even though the situation was possibly more dangerous. For a group of criminals, that gang had no honor or loyalty among thieves. He would have constantly been watching his back, especially if Snart had left without him. He didn’t want to go out with a knife wound or a gun shot. In the end, Mick wanted to go down in a blaze of fiery glory. But these things weren’t worth thinking about right now.

“Look, Professor, I need you to fly the ship back.” No doubt Rip had some protocols in place to make sure Mick couldn’t get his hands on a timeship. Asshole. “We’re a team, right?” He conveniently ignored how ready he was to abandon said team a week ago; how even as he said it, he didn’t truly allow himself to feel it. Snart may be sipping the Legends Kool-Aid, but Mick wasn’t. He wasn’t a hero, never would be. There wasn’t any good in him. Given the chance, he’d let the world end in fire so long as it wasn’t that prick Savage who started the flame. Even now he was only doing this to look out for himself and for his own personal gain. Stein, at least, seemed to buy it.

“You are quite right, Mr. Rory. Why, we’ll be like Han Solo and Chewbacca saving the day!”

Mick grunted. He was surrounded by goddamned nerds. 

\---

“Welcome back, Mr. Rory and Professor Stein.” Gideon greeted them the moment they stepped foot on the Waverider. “The others are in the medbay.”

“Medbay?,” Stein asked. “Were they injured in the attack?”

“Negative. Mr. Snart and Ms. Lance are suffering from mild hypothermia and Doctor Palmer went into cardiac arrest while repairing a hole in the ship.”

Mick almost laughed. It was funny how Gideon sounded pleasant even as she reported the near deaths of their teammates. Captain Cold getting hypothermia of all things was almost funny too. Almost. Despite his threats, Mick wasn’t so sure he wanted to see Snart dead. Ever. They had too much history. Current bad blood aside, he’d always be that punk kid Mick rescued in juvie. Too smart for his own good, but also too goddamned stupid and prideful to know when to keep his head down or give in. Truth was, he looked out for Snart just as much as Snart looked out for him. 

When the pair walked into the medbay, Mick was surprised to be greeting by an honest-to-god smile from Snart. The thief turned to the lady assassin on the bed next to his and smirked. “I told you. If anyone could stand up to those pirates, it’d be Mick,” he said and faced his partner again. The pyro wasn’t used to that kind of pride being directed at him. “Well, Mick, you seem to have everything under control. So, what’s the plan, _Boss_?”

\---

The plan, for what it was, went off without a hitch. Those time pirates really were morons and hopelessly out classed. While the other Legends unleashed a truly spectacular can of whoop-ass on the poor unsuspecting bastards, Mick strolled up to the holding cell and waited with crossed arms.

“Ah, well, if it isn’t Mr. Rory, back from his _dealings_.” Rip mirrored his stance on the other side of the blue forcefield. “Tell me, Mr. Rory, are you still a member of my crew or have you sold us out?”

“I told you I can cut a deal, _Rip_ , and here it is. I don’t like you and you don’t like me. I’m fine with that, I don’t want to be friends. What I do want is for you to _back the fuck off_. You may think that I’m a stupid piece of _meat_ , but don’t think I don’t see it, Rip. Pretend all you want, but you don’t give a shit about any of us; not just me. You’d have left Sara in Star City to die, just as you ordered Stein dead in Russia.”

Here Jackson interrupted with a startled, _”You what?!”_ , and Hunter flinched. Seems he hadn’t meant for that information to get out. Well, too bad. It was about time someone called him on all his bullshit and Mick was happy to be the one to do it.

“Every time something goes bad, your first course of action to cut someone out. If not for the nagging of the others, this _team_ would be halved by now. But the way I see it, you need us more than we need you. And yeah, even me. I may have been the unwanted end of a two-for-one special, but I’ve done a hell of a lot more for this crew than you have. I’ve had your back and theirs. I have carried their asses back to the ship when you’d just as easily cut the loss and leave them there to die.”

Mick smacked the control panel and opened the cell, reaching in to drag Rip close.

“I ain’t no hero and I don’t give a shit about becoming a _Legend_ ,” he spat the word, “but I signed on for this twisted fucking field trip of yours and now I’ve decided that I’m gonna see it through. What you’re going to do, _Captain_ , is get off your high horse and make sure nobody else dies for _your_ vendetta. We may be a group of long dead nobodies to you, but we’re also the only people helping you get your family back, so show a little goddamned _appreciation_.”

Rip stumbled and landed on his ass when the pyro released him. Jax and Captain No.3, were glaring at the man who was at a complete loss for words; not having expected a grand speech from _Mick Rory_ of all people. It was obvious that although he studied their histories, Rip Hunter didn’t really _know_ any of the people on his ship.

\---

Later, back on the Waverider and preparing for a jump to the 1950s, Mick was enjoying the confused and frustrated glances Rip kept sending his way whenever he thought Mick wasn’t looking. The Captain had been appalled when he realized he had been well and truly rescued by the none other than the serial arsonist with the IQ of meat. Captain No. 3, Baxter, giving Mick the upgrade for Gideon in reward for rescuing them and telling off the disgraced Time Master had just been salt in the wound. The pyro also recognized the pinched look on his partner’s face as the one he always wore when he was working himself up to do something unpleasant; like admitting to making a mistake and apologizing for it. 

With this kind of entertainment, he figured pretending to play hero wasn’t all that bad.

So long as he’d get to set something on fire in the 1950s, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> Humorous scene re-write? 
> 
> When the pair walked into the medbay, Mick was surprised to be tackled from both sides. Sara was wrapped around one thick arm and Snart had somehow managed to climb up his partner to cling to him like a fucking koala.
> 
> “Oh, that’s so nice~,” Sara crooned, squeezing harder.
> 
> Snart hummed against his neck, “I told you he was like a furnace.”
> 
> Mick wasn’t sure what to make of this development so he stayed as he was, letting the shivering pair leech some of the heat from his body. And if he happened to enjoy their half delirious mumbling about him being their hero, well, that was his business. 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Sorry, not sorry.~~


End file.
